Alpheus Daily Watch

In the House Today

Government Orders

The House will follow a Friday schedule for today. Prior to question period, third reading debate will begin on An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act and the Security of Information Act (S-7).
Bill & Status Details (S-7) Short Title: Combatting Terrorism Act This bills seeks to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act and the Security of Information Act, including the introduction of provisions to re-enact the investigative hearing and recognizance-with-conditions measures - two provisions that expired in 2007.  The investigate hearing provision would give a judge the power to require an individual to appear before the court to answer questions if that person is believed to have information about a terrorism offence that has been, or may be, committed.  The recognizance-with-conditions provision would allow an application to be made to a judge to compel an individual to appear in court to determine if conditions/preventative arrest should be imposed if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a terrorist activity will be carried out.  The bill also proposes new offences of leaving, or attempting to leave, Canada to commit a terrorism offence. For legislative summary, please click here. Status: Introduced in the Senate on February 15, 2012.  Considered by a special committee on anti-terrorism.  Committee report presented to Senate on May 16, 2012 with amendments and observations.  Passed third reading in Senate on May 31, 2012 and read a first time in the House on June 5, 2012.  Considered by House Standing Committee on Public Safety and reported back to the House without amendment.  Concurred in at report stage on February 13, 2013. Sponsor: Minister of Justice
Following question period, the Chamber will turn its attention to continued third reading debate on the Nuclear Terrorism Act (S-9).
Bill & Status Details (S-9) This bill proposes amendments to the Criminal Code that would create new offences relating to nuclear terrorism. Passage of the bill would allow for the implementation of Canada's obligations under the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Status: Introduced in the Senate on March 27, 2012. The bill was referred to the Special Committee on Anti-Terrorism for review where it was reported back with an amendment and observations. The committee report was adopted, the bill as amended passed third reading in the Senate on June 26, 2012 and was subsequently referred to the House where it received first reading on September 25, 2012.  Considered by the House Justice and Human Rights committee over the course of three meetings and reported back without amendment on February 25, 2013.  Concurred in at report stage on March 7, 2013. Sponsor: Minister of Justice

Private Members' Business

As part of private members' business, debate will begin on Liberal MP Gerry Byrne's motion on the enrollment and registration process for the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band.
Motion Status & Details (M-432) Full text of motion: That, in the opinion of this House, in relation to the enrollment and registration process for the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band, the government should commit: (a) to completing the enrollment and registration process for all applicants who applied on or before November 30, 2012 by agreeing to extend the 2007 Agreement for the Recognition of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band beyond March 21, 2013 until all such applications are processed; (b) to ensuring that the rules of eligibility for membership are followed by all government decision makers in any continuation of the enrollment process; (c) that all previous interpretations, precedents and rulings on matters affecting enrollment that were not specifically addressed within the 2007 Agreement but were established instead through the records of decisions made by the Enrollment Committee and the Appeals Master be made known to all participants in any future enrollment process and that the decision makers in any future enrollment process be instructed to guide their decisions in a manner consistent with such previous interpretations, precedents and rulings; (d) to the same standard of evidence as well as the same thresholds for the quantity and quality of information that was previously deemed acceptable by the Enrollment Committee, for the remaining 75,000 unprocessed applications to the Band; (e) that an independent Appeals Master will continue to be employed in any future enrollment process for the assessment of the remaining 75,000 applicants and that this person will be drawn from outside of government, from outside of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians and from outside of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band and that this Appeal Master will be vested with the same powers and authority and be drawn from the same legal and administrative background as the previous Appeals Master to ensure consistency with the rules and standards established under the previous enrollment process; (f) to maintaining all existing memberships, except in cases where fraud can be established that is material to the application; and (g) to ensuring that no eligible applicant who submitted an application in good faith prior to the November 30, 2012 deadline is disenfranchised from enrollment.

Today's Committees

House of Commons

  • No committee meetings are scheduled in the House today

Senate

  • No committee meetings are scheduled in the House today

Looking Ahead

Parliamentary Break Weeks

The House of Commons will adjourn on Thursday March 28, 2013 and will resume sitting on Monday April 15, 2013.

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